Merry Christmas, Brat
by ChaosGal
Summary: Bakura abuses Ryou, but, Yami is remembering his past, and uses it to threaten Bakura to stop abusing his host. Will he stop? What lustful secret has Yami uncovered? Will Ryou help save Bakura from Yami? Yaoi. RxYB. From fluff on up!
1. Intro

**Merry Christmas, Brat**

**_Introductionis long. Skip it you don't want the setting and the usual background history (though you might want to know some of this stuff, its a tad different from the norm). But I PROMISE you ONE chapter a day till Christmas, can I do it? I don't know, but it's a test of my will!!_**

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_**-------------Introduction-----------**_

_Ryou Bakura, was little small for his age, but compared to some he knew, he was pretty average. He had snowy white hair, but unlike an albino, he had large chocolate colored orbs for eyes. His eyes shimmered with tainted innocence, many sorrows, and a dark secret who's source came from a certain object that Ryou attached himself to. That one possession he most loved, and most loathed, was the Millennium Ring. The beautiful ornament was also known as the Sennen Ring and the Three Thousand Year Ring. Because that was exactly how old the wretched thing was._

_Given to him on his birthday as a boy, the damned thing - or rather - what was sealed within it - had made his life miserable ever since. By the time he got it, he was already an only child again for the second time in his life, and motherless to top that. His father rarely had time for him. A nanny, or rather, several over the years tended to him whenever his father was away on his many expeditions. But on his fifteenth birthday, one is allowed to leave the care of their guardians and start life on their own._

_Though his father paid for, at first, his rented apartment, and sent a monthly check for food, Ryou was rather poor. He lived in a house now, in a quiet neighborhood where not so many people would give him strange glances as he walked outside._

_The Millennium Ring had been responsible for him having several nannies, as most of them mysteriously disappeared without incident or ran off like lunatics. The Millennium Ring was also responsible for Ryou being kicked out of the apartment by the staff. And it could very well be the reason why the pay checks never seemed to pay for quite all the food Ryou needed._

_For, as if you didn't know already, the Millennium Ring contained something, or rather, someone, who never should have been released in the first... or is it... second place._

_On a contrast, this someone was an opposite of the boy known as Ryou Bakura. We'll refer to this someone as Yami Bakura - Dark Bakura, for that is what Ryou's few friends called the someone. He was a purely evil spirit that came to be trapped in the Millennium Ring for some reason no one has quite figured out yet. But they just all know it would have been better if he'd stay there._

_Yami Bakura, as a spirit, possessed Ryou Bakura and resided side by side with the boy's soul, tormenting him and bending him to his will. The spirit could also manifest itself like a ghost and phase through entire solid objects, even walls, on occasion. The spirit also at times seemed more like a vengeful poltergeist sort of ghost. Yami Bakura could sometimes manifest himself a physical shell, and each time he did, he somehow got stronger, instead of weaker. And this spirit had so much strength it seemed inhuman. But his heart, also, seemed in human. He barely even seemed human, such cruelty he bestowed upon those around him._

_Poor Ryou Bakura, of course, was the closest to him, and obviously not by choice. _

_This was the second year after Yami Bakura had fully revealed himself to Ryou, the second year of Ryou's memory blacking out when he was possessed, and the end of the first year where Yami Bakura had been strong enough to manifest and abuse him. Ryou couldn't remember how it started, but everything he did seemed just to feed Bakura's anger._

_And so thus is where we begin... early winter. Fifteen days till Christmas. A Christmas, like the last one, Ryou knew he wouldn't be allowed to have, nor participate in._

_**-------------End Introduction-----------**_

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**December 10th, Friday - 8:20 PM**

Clutching his side, Ryou swallowed a mouthful of bloody bile. His chest hurt like a tightening pinch between his second and third ribs, but first and foremost, his side now had a growing blue, black, and green splotch that would stay for weeks... Nothing seemed broken, but then again, he really hadn't been hit so hard before. Bakura must have been really mad this time.

Ryou winced, still hardly remembering what he did. Sometimes he wondered if it was his fault at all... one thing always lead to another. First he forgot to wear the ring to school, then he was forced to wear it all the time, even when he slept, then he took it off after a bath, and he found out all too well bare flesh does not stand a chance against a blade of knife.

He reached the bathroom, kicked the door halfway closed behind him and sat down on his knees in front of the toilet and threw up what little food he had eaten that day. He still hurt, he ached all over, and now he just felt empty inside, and hungry again... He didn't even want to get up and take off his shirt to see what new scars he had in the mirror. It was winter... anything could be hidden with a sweater over him.....

Sick to his stomach, Ryou wobbly stood up and supported himself on the counter will his arm. The flu season this year hadn't hit Domino, and the nurse at the school gave him a free flu shot, which he had barely felt. But his immune system never was good, maybe he caught it anyway, that small dose was enough to infect his entire system.

The pinch in his ribs spasms again. He didn't know what that was... maybe it'd go away... He stood up farther and walked back into the hallway and clicked the light off. He paced down the hallway again, the same way he had a few minutes before, turned the corner, and fell to the floor and wrapped a stray blanket around him. No bed, no big comfy pile of pillows. The floor, and one thick blanket, was what Bakura told him to deal with.

Ryou curled up tightly in a ball, the blanket over his head in his corner of the bare room. Bakura had all the blankets, all the pillows, and the bed, in the room above the garage that wasn't used. He felt so foreign in the empty house. Alone.

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**December 11th, Early Saturday - Time Unknown**

It was dark outside, and no light at all was present in the cold house. Bakura didn't know how he was aroused from his sleep but he was awake now. The house was chillingly cold, even colder than what he usually appreciated. He laid in bed on his back and stared up at the ceiling. He must have had a dream. That's the only explanation for his sudden awakening. But he hadn't had a dream in a long time, so no, that couldn't be it.

Maybe something awoke him through the mental link. He couldn't sense anything, but his hikari was near, he sensed, and still asleep. But just to be sure the brat wasn't having a nightmare or some such and his mere mental state woke Bakura up, Bakura crawled out of bed. Ryou had better be sound asleep or else he'd be having a lot more than just a little nightmare.

The cold air nipped immediately at Bakura's unprotected feet and chest. He always slept in his jeans unless they got blood on them, and all the blankets he'd collected from all of Ryou's belongings kept him warm enough that a shirt just seemed too scratchy at night. And socks.... he never did get used to socks fully so when he was sleeping he preferred to be as comfortable as possible. But the comfortable environment of the bed and the uncomfortable environment of the winter chilled house were not the same.

The chill swept over him, but it refreshed him. The hair over his shoulders kept him warm enough.

He swept down six small steps that led to the garage's roof where he slept, and into the kitchen. Bakura's nose wrinkled as he glared at the unwashed dishes in the sink. A chore for Ryou to do after he finished pulverizing him for disturbing his sleep.

Bakura leaned around the doorway, paced down the hall and leaned in onto the sight of the next room. Empty other than a box or two in the corner, he spotted Ryou immediately snuggled between them. He crossed the distance in the room quietly and stared down at Ryou's sleeping body, which moved up and down with each of his breaths.

However, much to Bakura's displeasure, Ryou was after all, sound asleep. So if Ryou didn't have a nightmare he had no idea what had woken him up. Bakura sat down on the floor cross-legged, his hair falling way over his shoulders as he slouched. He observed Ryou and his pitiful excuse for a blanket. The brat didn't seem to be at all aware of Bakura's presence, so Bakura figured not to wake him up.

And as dark as it was in the house, light from a street lamp flooded the room around Ryou making his overall curled up body seem angelic as if it were to wake up and sprout wings to fly away at any moment.

Bakura wondered what the hell he was thinking as his hand somehow involuntarily shot out stopped inches from Ryou's face, ready to slap him awake so Bakura could be satisfied and go back to bed. He stopped, not only because he realized there was no need for it... but because... a small smile had formed on Ryou's sleeping face. He seemed.... happy.

Bakura pulled back his hand, he would allow the brat to sleep in his happiness, because the morning would be hell. He stood up and walked back through the house to his room. Crawling back into bed, his thoughts somehow drifted and a flash of memory hit him. His own life in ancient Egypt had been miserable and he's made Ryou's just as miserable. Of all the things.... he couldn't understand why he continued to torment the boy.

He rolled over and closed his eyes. It wasn't like the brat would have survived what he'd been through anyway. Ryou Bakura was still to soft, and that was an insult to Bakura's conscious.

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_**Review please, if I need to fix anything, just mention it, spell check only does so much, you know. ; And does anyone want a pairing? Doesn't even have to be B x R, could be anybody involving Bakura or Ryou. Ya. Review.**_


	2. Snow

**_I did it! I wrote another chapter! I tried to make it long, but I don't know how long it really is... but at least I know where to start up again tomorrow night. Remember - 14 days till Christmas, ya'll!_****

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**December 11th, Saturday - 7:54 AM**

Ryou shifted and blinked awake, stretching out his limbs. Perhaps his other half would be in a better mood this morning. He sat up and yawned. It was early morning still, light was only now just creeping in, but everything seemed darker in the winter, so it couldn't have been too late, he assumed.

He wrapped the blanket over his shoulders and walked into the kitchen quietly. In the garage bedroom Bakura's eyes shot open. His light was awake. Good.

Ryou smiled as he heard birds chirping outside the kitchen window. He paced to the slow window and moved the small curtains away to see out. He gasped at the sight before him. Snow!! In Domino! And it was still lightly falling! There must have been nearly two and half, maybe even three and a half inches! He smiled and a small happy giggle crept out.

Two icy hands suddenly gripped his neck and he gasped again, in fright. Bakura leaned closer until he was inches away from Ryou's ears.

"What's the cheerfulness for, weakling?"

Ryou bit his lip. A storm of terrified butterflies fluttered around in his stomach, he wasn't expecting Bakura to be up and on his case so quickly. Had he not been quiet enough? Did he do something wrong? Was it later in the morning than he thought? He swallowed his fear of impending doom as best he could, but his voice still cracked.

"It's that there is, um... snow outside. I h..haven't seen snow in so long."

Bakura's eyes shifted up and followed his light's gaze out the window. White covered everything. Snow. Bakura's mind only made the connection to the cold weather. The most it had ever done back in ancient Egypt was frost so the ground was chunky. Bakura blinked and didn't make a move to do anything, the curious blinding white substance amused his curiosity for the moment.

But Bakura's presence over Ryou's shoulder unnerved him, his heart race had quickened the moment Bakura had touched him, and now he knew he was breathing loudly and unevenly. Fear was a weakness Bakura scolded him once, he had to control it around him or else... what, Ryou didn't want to know.

"H..hey, Bakura-s..sama, would you like me to make you something warm to drink? Like cocoa?"

Attention was now back on Ryou and away from the snow.

"Heh."

Bakura pinched tighter on the back of Ryou's neck and wheeled him across the kitchen to the dishes, "Is there a clean cup left? I'd think not. You didn't do your chores, now did you...?"

He smirked and waited for Ryou's pitiful response.

"I...I'll do them right now, and there should be a cup left for your cocoa, -sama."

He'd taught Ryou to call him that so long ago, Bakura-sama. Anything to keep him degraded and under his little finger at every single second of his short mortal life.

"And will there be a bowl and a spoon for my cereal?"

Ryou, hand shaking, reached above the sink and opened the cupboard. One bowl.

"Y..yes, enough for yours, -sama."

A wry smile crept over Bakura's face, satisfied for now, he let go of Ryou's shoulders and shoved him at the sink.

"Good, now make my food, runt! Then do the dishes and clean the kitchen!" Bakura ordered.

Bakura turned on heel and left the kitchen, he walked down the hall and slowly turned the knob on the front door. It was so cold. He pushed the door open and air even colder than what was in the house hit him like a million icicles. Not wanting the house that cold, he quickly went out and closed the door behind him.

Since he woke up, he'd grabbed one of his usual T-shirts (this one was black had DEATH written on it in white). But he hadn't thought of grabbing his jacket or coat. He would have just phased out of physical form to avoid the cold, if not for an overpowering urge to inspect the white fluff covering the ground, the trees, the bushes, the fence, the neighbor's car, hell, the entire neighborhood.

Snow, was it?

He reached down and scooped some up with his bare hand. The cold white stuff was also wet, and melted into his hands and froze his hands at the same time. His hands tingling with numbness dropped the handful of snow, which splattered against the rest of the snow on the grass. Humph. This was a new element to him.

In the distance he heard kids screaming happily and curiously peered to the neighbor's yard. The kids were dressed up like huge florescent colored marshmallows and were dancing in the snow, crawling in the snow, throwing snow at eachother. The warmth of all those clothes protected them from the nipping cold snow. Though the kids were having fun, this gave Bakura an idea. An idea for later.

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Ryou, meanwhile, poured Bakura's cereal and pulled the warm mug from the microwave and stirred in the cocoa. He realized just how hungry he was. He'd thrown up his food last night, and barely picked at lunch at school, but now, he hadn't eaten anything in nearly a day...

And now there were only enough clean dishes for Bakura to eat... Nausea from the hunger only made it harder to keep going. He put the cereal and the cocoa on the table and quickly loaded the dishwasher and turned it on. Ryou pulled out a chair and put his head down.

Bakura, seconds later walked in and sat down and picked up the cocoa mug. It warmed his hands as he stared down over at Ryou, who looked rather hungry.

"Oh, nothing for yourself?"

Ryou only shook his head.

"MmmHmmm."

Bakura sipped down half his lukewarm cocoa already, and now he picked at his cereal. He wondered what to do with Ryou today. It was Saturday, and Ryou hadn't begged him to see his friends yet. He grinned. If today had nothing planned, it seemed like a good time to teach Ryou another lesson.

The phone attatched to wall suddenly began to ring. Ryou's head dazzedly popped up from the table. With an exhausted sigh he pulled away from the table and retrieved it.

"This is Bakura, Ryou. Hello?"

"Good morning, Ryou!" It was Yuugi.

"Why did you call?" Ryou asked nonchantly, watching Bakura's face closely.

"Well me and the gang were going to go help decorate for the winter karaoke event at the school, we were wondering if you'd like to come."

"I'd love to, Yuugi!"

Bakura's face darkened into a glare.

"But... I don't know if I can..."

"Mrrr... Yes we understand, but we have something to give you, we'll stop by on our way there anyways, alright? See you in a bit."

"Talk to you later, Yuugi."

"Ok, bye Ryou."

Ryou walked back over and sat at the table, his hands fidgeting in his lap.

"Yes?" Bakura asked, "What do they want now?"

"They want me to go to the school and help them decorate it for an event. T..they're stopping by here also, before they go. Said they had something to give me."

Bakura snarled, "They're coming here?"

Ryou bit his lip, "I couldn't just talk him out of it."

"You didn't even try to."

Ryou cringed and looked down at his fidgeting hands in his lap, "I am sorry, please forgive me. I thought it wouldn't do much harm."

That was just like Ryou, begging for forgiveness. But when the words "forgive me" came out of his mouth, it transfered into Bakura's mind as, "punish me."

Bakura stood up and slammed his fists on the table, "Clean these dishes, put the other ones away, put away the cereal, and then when they're gone..." he turned away and stopped when he reached the doorway, and without turning around continued, "come to living room. You cannot go with them, and I will be waiting."

He shot Ryou one final glare and left wordless as if he'd never been there in the first place. Ryou gulped and shakenly just put his head back down on the table. He hid away tears that had started to sting at his eys. Bakura never let him ever see his friends outside of school anymore. He felt so alone, but there was nothing he could do. And he couldn't ask his friends to help, they'd just blow things out of porportion and then if they failed at changing anything, that would just piss Bakura off worse than he's ever been before... Direct disobediance never deterred his darker half, but Ryou didn't want to be the dark's slave forever. A worthless vessel like Bakura told him he was. There had to be more to him than that. There just had to be.

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**_TT  
I would really like to have a pairing you know. But you people are right, R x B is way too common and gets kind of boring after a while. So you had better come up with something good, or an excuse to pound the crap out of Ryou. Its one way or the other. Don't complain. I might just pair Yami Bakura andYami Yuugifor the hell of it. HAHA. Don't mind me, I just kind of like darkshipping. --_**


	3. Memories

_**-laughs- Thanks for the ideas everyone, I got the response I wanted. No I'm not bored of the plot line actually, I just wanted to use your brains. I have known what I wanted to do from the beginning, I know how this will end. Just curious to see what you all wanted while still influencing you with my idea that I purposely did not reveal to you. (hint: Has something to do with Yami still, but not in a good way.) If you want the long and the short of it, Ryou will help Bakura out eventually and there might even be a happy ending. If I can quote a reviewer: "**Okay pound the crap outta Ryou, but make Yami stop Bakura and get Baka Bakura to get some feelings for Yami Gaki_**." Almost, but not quite. Heh, you will all just have to see.**

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**December 11th, STILL Saturday - 9ish**

Ryou cleaned up quickly and then began the long process that's known as 'hurry up and wait.' He paced the hallway and peaked into the living room. Bakura turned around on the couch and smirked, twirling the small pocket knife he'd stolen from a store about a year ago. His favorite, and still sharpest one.

He shuddered but not visibly. Bakura would not hurt him until his friends had come and gone. Ryou took this oppurtunity to come into the living room and sit down next to Bakura.

Puzzled, Bakura growled in a low tone, "What the fuck do you think you're doing, brat? If you really have nothing to do, you should go clear the sidewalk of snow, you're just going to have to do it later."

Ryou remained silent but leaned over and looked Bakura in the eyes.

"Get away from me with those eyes!!"

Sure enough, Ryou had the innocent, pleading eyes of a lamb just ready to be slaughtered. Risking everything but his very life, he reached over and put a hand on the fist that Bakura had clenched around the knife. Bakura's glare went from just a glare to a glint of pure evil.

"Bakura, I had a dream last night an-"

There was pounding on the front door and chatter amongst several people. Ryou winced and pulled away and ran off quickly to get the door.

"BRAT!" Bakura called after him, "You forgot to call me -SAMA!!"

Ryou opened the door and Yuugi smiled up at him.

"Can we come in?" Yuugi chirped.

"No I don't think that would be a good... idea..."

Yuugi looked down at his Millennium Puzzle, "But my yami wanted to talk to yours. He's been remembering his past and wanted to discuss it with him."

"Well, my yami is in the living room, but I don't think he'd want everyone in the house, and I don't think I would either, especially not if yours in there with him."

A form appeared next to Yuugi and materialized into his yami, slightly taller, and his hair slightly spiker, he had the usually smug game face on.

"Don't worry, Ryou, I won't be long, we won't destroy your house," Yami smiled.

"Okay..." Ryou opened the door behind him, and Yami walked in. Closing the door behind him, Ryou began to chatter with his friends. He cherished every moment with them.

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Yami crossed the hall into the living room, Bakura, startled that his Ring detected the former pharaoh's presence before he did, whirled around on the couch and shot another trademark glare, "Yes, and what do YOU want, your highness?" He spat sarcastically.

Raising his eyebrows in superiority, Yami rested his hands on his hips, a look Bakura not seen from his rival since Egypt. He licked his lips and Bakura wheeled back in disgust, nearly falling off the couch.

"As if you weren't aware of the inevitability of it, I'm remembering my past. One day at a time."

Hips swaying, he leaned over the couch and smirked down at Bakura, who was seconds away from falling off the couch and landing on his butt, "Such delicious secrets you've been keeping from me, Bakura, I would never have guessed."

Feigning innocence Bakura managed to mumble, "What nonsense are you talking now, pharaoh baka?"

"Well, _kitten_," He slurred, partially in Egyptian while reaching out and caressing Bakura's chin, "Or should I say, slave..."

Bakura moved away from Yami's hand only to finally fall off the couch. He felt his hand land on his knife. He quickly pulled it up in his defense, "Get the fuck away from me or your hikari pays!"

"Quite the contrary. You'd better stop abusing your own host. You don't want me to bring Seth into this."

Bakura, if not scared at this point, but at least knocked totally off guard wondered aloud, "How long have you had these memories?"

"Only about a day, but I get more and more at every look at you, its hard to resist, tomb robber. You'll be mine again, I'll break you down so far you'll-"

"Shut the fuck up, pharaoh! And leave me the hell alone!"

Yami frowned, "Is this what you've been so touchy about this entire time? The reason for following us in Duelist Kingdom, were you curious if I remembered or not, when you saw I didn't, you took advantage of that. Bad Bakura.... And Battle City, if case you hadn't noticed, I wouldn't have attacked Ryou, yet you still thought I would. I was a nice guy back then, I didn't understand why you didn't go through with the plan. But now I understand, I understand so much more..."

Bakura eyes flared with hatred, loathing, and with that odd inhuman lack of compassion. His body vibrated with shadow magic, he never wanted Yami to remember these things. He stood up, knocking the small dinner table out his way, and if looks could kill... well yah.

"So you remember. Good, everything is at it should be. At least you'll be aware of what you've done while I'm murdering you!"

Bakura lunged at Yami, over the couch, pinning him down to the ground.

Yami just smiled up at Bakura, "Don't play games with me, thief, I always win. I don't want you hurting your hikari anymore, or else I will come after you. If you do anything bad and I get word of it, you will be punished."

A hand swept down Bakura's chest and pushed him away, "That's all I really had to say, _kitten_."

"Don't you dare start calling me that, or I swear I'll-"

"Heh."

Yami already took off out of the room and opened the front door and closed it loudly behind him.

Bakura sat still on the rug and felt his pounding heart slow down. That was sudden and highly unexpected. Why, for the love of Ra, had Malik given Yami the power to remember things? There were some things about Bakura's past even he didn't want to remember. He heard the front door open and close again, this time softly, and Ryou peaked around the corner.

"Bakura-sama, what are you doing on the floor?"

Bakura blinked up at his host. So pharaoh had his memory back. He said not to hurt the boy. Bakura hated following orders, but then again he wasn't excited about the conquences. Bakura's eyes narrowed and he looked away from the brat and to the space on the rug next to him, and patted it.

"Sit. Tell me about that dream you had last night," he mumbled.

Ryou, confused, sat down, "It was a bad dream."

"Did it have me in it?"

"Yes."

"Figures."

Bakura's teeth chattered, the living room was actually quite cold. Or maybe it was because the door was opened one too many times.

"No, it's not what you think. It was a dream about you. You were on a bed, and Yami was there, but everything was odd, you were both dressed different and the room looked Egyptian."

Bakura's eyes widened as he continued to stare at the rug.

"You were... tied to the bed and struggling to get away, and he was holding you down and-"

"Stop."

Ryou stopped abruptly, "I didn't really want to go much farther anyways."

Bakura, still staring at the rug, was deep in thought. He'd woken up last night and not known why? Is that when Ryou saw a flashback from his own past? Did the former pharaoh see exactly the same event? He didn't know how Ryou got to witness that memory, but he didn't want the brat to see anymore. He didn't need Ryou to see him in a weak state as pharaoh often used to degrade him to!

He leaned over and slapped Ryou hard across the face, "Don't you dare have anymore dreams like that! Ever!"

Ryou bit back tears but nodded, "I will try to make them go away, -sama."

Bakura pulled back the hand he slapped Ryou with and stared at it now. He smacked Ryou, not uncommon. But what if someone were to find out.... anything. Anything he did to Ryou. If someone found out, Yami would be on his tail.

"Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night, I went in to go see if you were awake. You were asleep, and you were smiling. Why were you smiling?!" He glared up at Ryou.

Ryou shrunk back against the back of the couch, "T..the dream went away. Things changed. You and him.... turned into the present day versions of you. But you got away and you came to me. You... you were hurt, so I took care of you and you... you thanked me..."

Bakura stared at the boy, musing to himself, "And why did you help me?"

"You... said you were sorry and you b..begged for my help."

"You're confusing fantasy and reality now," the dark growled, standing up. He looked down at Ryou and kicked him squarely in the ribs, "I don't want you around here, today, runt. Go run after your friends before they get too far away."

"Yes, -sama!" He squeaked, dodging way from another kick in the ribs and took off down the hall to get his coat, "Thank you..." he mumbled more to himself.

Bakura watched him go through the one small living room window. His fist was clenched and he let out a ragged breath and went to the staircase in the kitchen. He ascended the stairs and flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes. Much thought and a good mid morning nap was in order.

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_**Thirteen days till Christmas. And by the way, this story won't be one chapter one day. So it may or may not end at Christmas. I really don't know. Hope you like the twists I've been adding. I'd better post this tonight, because there's a high wind warning in my state (Washington) hell, the winds blowing at 50 mph outside, I might be out of power soon, certainly without internet. Sorry if I can't get this or the next chapter(s) up on time.**_


	4. Pity

_**-groans- Man, I don't feel good. I love steak... you know? And I like it so when you poke it, its still bloody. But eating a whole steak that way just is an unsettling thought for my stomach. Yah... And I did. So now... My stomach doesn't feel good. I wanna get done with this chapter so I can go lay down. -reads reviews- I take suggestions, not threats. Get that through your skulls. I'm not "pairing" pharaoh and our favorite tomb robber together. I'm just making pharaoh the antagonist who has a sudden lust for him, ok? Bakura shares no mutual feelings on the topic. In fact, Bakura wants to kill him. Or did you not read that? **_

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**December 11th, Saturday STILL - Noon. **

A knock at the door. Bakura lifts his head up. He was hugging a pillow. He threw it across the room. Disturbing, he thought to himself. He sat up and pushed off the bed to the door. His hair was a mess, even more so than usual probably. Oh well, made his 'bat wings' stick up more. He reached the door, mentally cursing himself that when he opened it a blast of cold air would hit him. But he opened the door anyway...

...And got hit by a ball of snow in the face. He was shocked - no, stunned. He wiped it off his face fast and growled in heavy annoyance and shot a death glare at his next unsuspecting...

"Good afternoon, Kura."

...victim??

"MALIK!!!! Ra damn you to the ninth depth of hell!! What the hell do you want?"

The Egyptian teen crossed his arms and laughed, "My, my, look who slept in, grumpy."

"I. Did. NOT. Sleep. In. And what are you wearing?"

"Snow gear."

"Oh. No wonder you look like a large lavender marshmallow."

"Ha ha."

"Ch.. come on in, Malik. My light is not home."

"Oh?" he asked, heading into the house, "Bakura, your house is freezing..."

Malik took of his coat and piled it and his boots on the floor next to the door.

"Don't you guys have a working heater in here?"

"I wouldn't know, I haven't had need for one. Though... today is an exception, its damn cold out there now."

Malik nodded and grinned. He walked into the living room and pushed some more unpacked boxes away from some appliance... Must be the heater that Bakura had yet to realize of its existence. After moving all the boxes away he flipped it on.

"This, Bakura," he spoke as if talking to a small child, but it was all sarcastic, "Is the heater. Now how hot would you like it in here?"

"Oh I dunno... Hundred? Hundred and twenty?"

Malik shook his head and turned the heater up all the way, "If your house lights on fire, its not my fault."

"Ha."

Bakura sat down in the couch and crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in a rather relaxed looking position. Malik sat on the same couch at the opposite end, with his socked feet up on the couch in front of him. Its funny, Bakura thought to himself, how Malik seemed to show up at all the most annoying moments right when he was needed.

"Malik, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Hm?"

"Take pharaoh's memory back, and as soon as possible!"

Malik tilted his head in confusion; damn he almost looked cute when he did that, "What? I can't do that. The process has started, I can't undo anything. What's the problem?"

Bakura shook his head and stared up at the ceiling, "I was around back then, Malik. You should know that."

"So?"

"So I'm bound to wind up in his memories somewhere. And I know... exactly where I'll wind up. And I don't want him... remembering me."

"Why? So he doesn't have any more of a reason to banish you to the shadow realm for the fifth time?"

"No, you won't understand and I don't want to explain it to you... I just don't want him remembering my weak moments."

"Weak moments?" Malik grinned, "Hey I wanna see some of your 'weak' moments, too! That's not fair-"

"Malik."

"Huh?"

Bakura pulled his view of the ceiling away from his eyes and shifted to look at his former partner in crime, "I won't show you, but I'll tell you. Do you want the to the point version, or the blunt in your face version?"

Malik didn't exactly know what to say, the expression on Bakura's face was something he hadn't seen before. As if he were looking right into his very soul. And the soul of a madman always has reasons behind its corruption.

"Whichever you're most comfortable with?"

Bakura looked across the room, his eyes completely blank, "I don't really want to tell you. But I will because I have to tell someone and you're the only one who will listen..."

Now, to tell you, Malik and Bakura weren't the best of friends, and really, Bakura hadn't seen much of Malik since the end of Battle City. However, Malik did visit Bakura on occasion, and they still had stuff in common. Bakura had no one to talk to besides his host, which he refused to show any emotion to other than hate. But Bakura didn't hate Ryou, he just compared Ryou to himself. A younger, weaker him that would not have lived through the shit he'd been through. Malik was someone Bakura could talk to, and Malik would listen, and Malik wouldn't fly of the handle.

"It started along time ago, Malik. I was a tomb robber, remember, I've told you that... Well I was caught, and then... I was going to get the death sentence and get impaled or some such... But instead someone suggested I be..."

Malik listened intently, having no idea where this crazy story was going.

"I.. became pharaoh's pleasure slave," his face contorted, "and him, and not to mention Seth raped the hell out of me numerous times. I don't want the asshole to remember that. But he's already started to remember to."

Silence followed the previous statement. Bakura rolled his back and in Malik's direction. Malik's eyes were wide.

"No shit? And that's why you don't want him to remember anymore? Why didn't you tell me that before I went and helped him?"

"Maybe because I didn't know you, and barely remembered the fuzzy details myself. The point is, can you do anything about it now?"

The platinum blond Egyptian's expression turned to one of guilt, bordering on pity, "I can't. Sorry."

Bakura groaned and stood up and began to pace around the couch and the dinner table that hadn't been picked up yet.

"Oh, one more thing. Pharaoh talked to me today, threatened me to stop abusing my host."

"You do know I never approved of that, you should stop you know."

"Should. But what's the brat going to do if I start slacking off on him?"

"Hey, Kura, don't know how good a time is to say this but-"

Bakura's ears picked up the sound of returning chattering voices cluttering around the door. His hikari was home, and he brought Yuugi and the gang with him, how lovely.

"I'll be right back, Malik."

"Bakura wait."

Bakura turned around as he stopped in the doorway, "What?"

"Ryou's got some feelings for you. He told me. I think he'd forgive you."

"Ch, I don't want his forgiveness and I don't care an ounce for the boy. I'll stop, but only for my own benefit."

Bakura crossed the hall and opened the front door, revealed Ryou and Yuugi and the rest of the crew. And Yami. Bakura glared at Yuugi, who let out and "eek" and clung to his yami. Ryou looked up with fear that Bakura had not recently seen. Fear of what? Not of him, he'd done nothing worthy of boy's fear lately. Yami spoke up.

"Ryou limped as he ran up to us, said he tripped," the former pharaoh scowled, "I think you're to blame. He admitted so."

"Who's to say he wasn't limping from a previous injury? Butt out, pharaoh," Bakura shot back.

Joey piped up, "So, you're still to blame!"

Malik appeared in the doorway behind Bakura, glaring at everyone as well. Yami thought it unusual for Malik to be with Bakura, especially after the glare he just got from him. Malik pushed into the doorway, a smile plastered on his face as he pulled Ryou into the house gently. Ryou didn't resist.

"Come on in, Ryou, the heaters on and its nice and warm, and it looks like you had a long walk without a good coat," Malik brimmed with kindness, "Bakura, invite them all in, won't you?"

Malik looked at Bakura with that 'its all for the better' glance he'd somehow mastered recently as he lead Ryou into the living room. Bakura gritted his teeth.

"Sure. Why not," he blurted through his clenched teeth. He held the door open and watched as everyone filed in, glaring at anyone who had the guts to look at him.

* * *

_**As odd as this chapter was, its still six pages long, far longer than the previous ones. It was kind of sudden and blunt how I put everything and I sort of don't like how this chapter turned out. Hope you enjoyed though. Review because (respectful) criticism, ideas, and commentary are always welcome.  
**_


	5. Apology

**_Hmm... I think I lost a reviewer there. Ch, oh well. Oh, for those of you who didn't realize (how could you not) that Malik's birthday is December 23, I'm now going to incorporate that into the story. Yay! And for lacking of having mentioned a disclaimer, I say it now: I do not own Yugioh. If I did, it would be a lot more like this fanfic, and Bakura would be the troubled bad guy who is really the good guy, he just doesn't know it yet. And Bakura's "bat wings" is what the front of his hair does, sticking up. It's extra pointy in a few episode towards the end of Battle City. Oh and Malik "overflowing with kindness" as you put it isn't unusual since after the end of Battle City, his dark side was removed. It'd be natural for him to be kind and normal. And no one really knows WHAT happened to the real Malik after Battle City anyway. I assume he stayed in Domino with Isis since she still has to monitor the museum._**

* * *

"Malik I don't think having everyone in here is a very good idea..." Ryou whined. 

"It's okay. Okay everyone, into the kitchen!" Malik announced.

Everyone did so, but Bakura lingered at the doorway looking in at them all, glaring at Malik.

"My birthday is on the 23rd! Don't forget to get an EXTRA present for me, everyone!" Malik leaned against the countertop, "I'd like to have a party, but I don't know where to host it. This house is so empty, I think it'd be nice to have it here!"

"HEY!" Bakura growled, "This is OUR house, who put you in charge, you can't take over!"

Malik winked, "Come on Baku' it'll be fun."

Bakura scowled and Malik ignored him, and kept talking to everyone. Bakura looked around to find Yami to glare at, but strangely didn't see him. Maybe he got bored and went into the Puzzle. However a tingling on the back of his neck told him otherwise. He looked sideways down the hallway and backed up trying to make an escape from the feeling of impending doom he sensed, but only failed to back up into the said person he was going to hide from. Bakura froze.

"Hey, tomb robber..." came a hushed whisper behind him, "I see we run into eachother for a second time today..."

Arms latched around Bakura's waist, preventing a noiseless escape as Yami buried his head into Bakura's hair, "Oooh, you really do wash your hair... smells good."

Bakura let out a yell and grabbed the door frame to pry himself away, "RYOU!!!"

Yami quickly let go as Bakura turned around to throw a punch, but Yami only gave an accusing glare and a playful grin as he phased out from his physical form and dissipated back to the Millennium Puzzle. Right afterwards Ryou quickly showed up in the hallway. The noise in the kitchen seemed to have ceased as well. Bakura turned around and looked at Ryou, just realizing that'd he'd called out for him. Now he had to think of an excuse, just great. But the momentary lack of what to say gave room to Ryou to make his own strange realization.

"You... called me by name. You... have never called me my name."

Oh shit, he thought, another thing to make an excuse for.

"Mmm... yes, Ryou," Bakura started, perfectly aware the entire kitchen was listening in, "I..."

Might as well make this believable, he thought.

"I apologize," he blurted, "I'll explain to you later when... the ENTIRE kitchen ISN'T listening IN."

Whispering broke out immediately after that statement.

"Hikari..." he hissed, "If I see either star fish head around here it'll be too soon! Keep them away from me..."

Bakura dissipated into the Millennium Ring and Ryou walked back into the kitchen with his friends, just as Yuugi's cell phone went off. Yuugi blinked and turned it on and put it to his ear.

"Oh, it's grandpa, he wants me home for lunch," he said.

The rest of Yuugi's foursome friend group agreed, and they all took off, saying a simple good bye to Ryou and Malik. As soon as the front door swung closed, Bakura reappeared sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Bakura?" asked Malik, "Are you going to tell Ryou the good news?"

Ryou looked from Malik to Bakura, not knowing what to expect.

"It's only half good, good for him I guess..." Bakura mumbled, "Ryou, I'm going to start calling you by your name, two... Yami is having the same dreams you are, such has happened in the past..."

As this point Bakura wasn't even looking at Ryou, but out the window at the still falling snow, with the same blank expression Malik had noted. Ryou stopped breathing all together it seemed when he heard Bakura's statement.

"Yami threatened me this morning to leave you alone or else he'd come back for me. Not that I doubt he won't anyway, I just don't want to give him reason to. So, I won't be... hurting you anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be Mr. Nice Guy all of a sudden..."

Bakura's monotone voice went on a bit farther, but the rest was unheard. He obviously had something more to say, but Ryou suddenly leapt over and gave Bakura a big hug. Bakura didn't move or even look at Ryou, but narrowed his eyes in warning. Malik smiled and came over.

"Bakura-sama! Thank you! This is the best winter ever..."

"Don't call me that anymore," Bakura's eyes half closed and then he turned to Ryou at last with his blank half-lidded expression, "Before it flattered me, but the title suddenly lost its charm. You're damn lucky, you know that? Don't push your luck."

"Now's a good time to tell him something Ryou..." Malik commented.

Ryou turned his head to Malik and shook his head with his eyes wide.

"Suit yourself," Malik looked up at the clock, "I've got to be going home."

* * *

**5:30 **

Malik left, and snow kept falling. A foot now covered the ground. If this kept up, winter break would have to let the school out early. The heater broke somewhere after the time Malik left and before the time it got so cold Ryou started to shiver while doing his homework. Bakura sensed this and came into check Ryou at the kitchen table. Ryou's back was to him from where he leaned in the doorway, but he still visible shivered. Bakura felt a pang of sadness for the boy suddenly.

"Are you cold?" he asked after a minute or two.

Ryou jumped, but then nodded, "Yes, very..."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Hey Bakura.... There isn't any food left..."

"None?"

"Unless you want cereal, but there's less than a bowl full left.... the milk ran out this morning... and the water in the pipes is frozen."

"That can't be right."

Bakura walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. It was pretty bare. He closed it and turned to one of the lower cupboards and looked for something canned, though he never did like that stuff because he could never open the damn things. But all he saw was an open package of crackers with only about five left. And more likely than not, they were stale. He turned around back to Ryou, he was right there was no food left.

A tear slid down the side of Ryou's face and landed on his homework, warping the penciled writing.

"Ryou - You're crying."

Ryou instantly turned face out of view and let his hair cover it.

"Ryou..." Bakura came closer and put a hand on his shoulder. Ryou flinched and moved away but not out of reach, "What's wrong?"

"Do you hate me...?"

Bakura considered his answer wisely, and his answer was to not respond directly to the question.

"Come on Ryou... its late and the day's been rough, let's just go to bed and everything will be okay in the morning..."

Ryou stood when he shoulder was tugged on. Bakura tried to move the hair out of his face to see if he was still crying. Damn it all, it was probably his fault to.

"I don't."

"Hm?"

"I don't hate you."

Not knowing what came over him, Bakura wrapped his arms around Ryou and held him close. He was freezing cold... Ryou melted into Bakura's warmth, his breath and his momentary thoughts sucked out of him by the kindness of hug... out of the person he'd last expect one from, but also from the person he most wanted it from. And strangely to him, Bakura didn't instantly regret his decision like he thought he would.

"You're cold, follow me."

Bakura took Ryou's hand and pulled him across the kitchen and up the carpeted stairs into the garage bedroom. It had no windows, and it had a thick door, and it wasn't exactly the largest thing... but that all benefited in keeping all warmth in that room. He sat Ryou on the bed and tried again to move the hair out of his face.

"Ryou..."

Large brown eyes finally appeared behind the mass of hair, "I'm cold Bakura..."

He leaned against Bakura, resting on his chest. And he fully expected to be pushed away... but to even feel like he was in heaven, for a few moments was enough... But he didn't get pushed away. Ryou then quickly pulled away himself.

"I..I'm sorry I... I'll take an extra blanket and go."

He attempted to stand, but only got pulled back down again by Bakura, who cuddled Ryou into his lap, "Ryou... I'm sorry..."

Ryou swallowed hard, he was again back in Bakura's arms, and Bakura wanted him there. And he was growing warmer by the second, not just from body heat either. The small infatuation that had been growing spread a small, hopefully hidden flush to his cheeks. He'd told Malik... but surely Bakura didn't know how he felt... Maybe things would get better...

"Ryou I'm sorry..." he said again. Bakura began to fiddle with a lock of Ryou's hair, "Ryou you've always reminded me of me... a younger, foolish, weak me... but you've been though so many things I never had to go through, and you didn't deserve any of it. I'm sorry, Ryou..."

Ryou looked up in shock. Bakura has now said he was sorry three times in the last minute, and four times total today.... he couldn't see Bakura's face, he shifted and tried to see into Bakura's eyes, but again, hair was in the way.

"I'm the fool Ryou, I've treated you so badly... I've caused you so much pain. I realized this but I couldn't bring myself to stop... but now I am. And I don't think I can ever forgive myself..."

* * *

**_Awwwwwww... That was sweet. Hope you liked. Review please, thanks for reading. But it's far from over! It's only just begun!_**


	6. Kiss

**_Well, I've been doing it: One chapter a night! I'm going to try and write this chapter in one hour! All my chapters have to be at least three and a half pages long, so an hour for that much? We'll see. And for the one who doesn't know what a "wry" expression was, look it up in the dictionary this site comes with points up to toolbar but for your own sake, I'll tell you its very first definition, because it says, "_**humorously sarcastic or mocking**_." That fits just fine now doesn't it. I don't need to correct anything, and congrats on learning a new word for your vocabulary._**

"Do you really mean it?"

Bakura nodded slowly, holder Ryou tighter. Ryou struggled out of Bakura's firm gasp and turned around and pushed the hair out his face to see his face.

"I forgive you."

"I don't deserve to be forgiven. I should leave your life so I don't do anymore harm, let you start over."

"No! Bakura!" Ryou hugged Bakura and didn't let go, "No, you can't leave me! Not now!"

"Why Ryou... why won't you let me leave. You can move on without me..."

"Please Bakura, don't leave me... Don't leave me..."

Ryou began to sob into Bakura's chest uncontrollably, "Don't leave me... not now... You're all I have left, all I've ever known... Everyone has been leaving me, just when I start to care about them!"

Bakura felt another pang of sorrow. He knew what it was like... to lose someone you loved.

"Bakura... d..don't leave me, I love you! I love you like I loved my mother and baby sister before they died. I love you like I did father before he left and never came back! I love you, Bakura... don't go... please..."

Bakura's arms felt heavy at his sides, but the moment seemed just right, so he lifted them despite things and wrapped his arms back around Ryou, patting him.

"I won't leave you as long as you want me to stay..."

Ryou instantly relaxed and sniffled instead of sobbed. Bakura put his arms back down and reached out with one hand to grab the blankets and pull them around him and Ryou who was snuggled warmly into his lap. Ryou sighed, hardly believing this was real but hoping to God it was. Tears of both happiness and sadness swept down his cheeks.

They fell asleep that way, but neither was sure who drifted off first. Ryou was snuggled into Bakura's lap, and Bakura had his arms wrapped around Ryou. After his feet began to fall asleep and swell, he decided to lean over and lay down, still holding Ryou close like a teddy bear. His thoughts he tried best to keep empty, for he was too tired to face the true meaning of what Ryou had meant by 'love' nor the possibility of remembering... more things he had long since purposely forgotten... like his own family's murder.

**Morning**

Ryou woke up first, but decided not to move away from his 'captors' strong arms. He yawned a little and snuggled closer and fell back into his dreamy unaware of reality state. Bakura woke up next, to a ringing phone downstairs, but seeing as Ryou was asleep, and didn't want to disturb him, he just smiled and breathed in the heavenly smell of his light's hair and drifted back off to sleep. This happened countless times up until the point they were rudely awakened, somewhere around noon.

That wouldn't have happened, of course, if Yugi hadn't been worried about why Ryou hadn't answered his phone after several calls. So Yuugi and Yami (dressed in large light and dark blue puffy snow pants) came a knocking at the door of the house. Now, the snow outside was a good foot and half, much more than expected, said the weatherman that Yuugi had been listening to over breakfast. He'd called Ryou about, seeing if he needed help or wanted to come play in the snow. But he got neither a good or bad response, but not one at all was assumed even worse than a bad one.

Yami jumped on the chance of finding out it was Bakura's fault the phone had been ignored, so that is why they were now at Ryou's door. However, neither Bakura nor Ryou heard the knocking. And after a while, Yami decided to just open the door and search the house. Yuugi protested, but Yami insisted the door was unlocked. The house was as cold as it was outside.

Wandering in and out of several empty rooms they both wound up in the kitchen, in the midst of Ryou's unfinished homework. The last room, they knew was Bakura's room. And that door was closed. Yami insisted that at least one of them had to be up there, and that it wouldn't hurt to just look around. Eventually Yuugi agreed and they cautiously crept up the stairs and opened the door....

...to find Ryou embraced in Bakura's arms, both with content sleeping faces.

This, of course, was highly unanticipated.

Then again, they didn't have much time to react as Bakura's eyes opened simotaneously upon Yami's first step into the room, the aura of another Millennium Item had awoken Bakura via the Millennium Ring. Bakura shot a death glare at Yami, who was just as shocked as Yuugi.

"Can't you see we're asleep?" Bakura said in a hissed hush whisper, "It's rude to barge into someone's house, so you'd better get the heck out of here without waking my light, and I might just pass this off as a dream."

Yuugi wanted to ask, but didn't like the poisonous threat that came from Bakura so he tugged on Yami's arm and lead him away and shut the door quietly behind. They left, but this time Bakura couldn't drift back to sleep. Ryou awakened when Bakura shifted to get more comfortable, and he looked at his darker half with those big chocolate orbs known formerly as eyes.

"Good morning, Bakura."

Bakura smiled down at Ryou, but said nothing. Ryou looked back up at Bakura and realized just how close they were to eachother; they're faces inches apart... He could feel Bakura's breath on his face they were so close. Ryou let out his own unsteady breath, it felt like it had been sucked from him. And the strange and sudden urge came... to kiss him? Sure, the short gap between the two could be distanced easily and quickly... but kissing was not something Ryou should even be thinking about doing. He flushed.

However, Bakura was having no such rational thoughts keeping him from doing anything. And Bakura bent down and kissed Ryou on the cheek. There - another breath stolen before Ryou could use it. Their noses brushed and they both froze staring at eachother with the same strange longing that both of them knew they shouldn't be having.

So finally Ryou couldn't hold his breath any longer so he crossed the boundry and pressed his lips to Bakura's. That however, was all he wanted and expecting. Bakura on the other hand, as I said, had no such rational thoughts holding him back. He melted into the kiss farther than Ryou wanted, his tongue slipping in. Ryou pulled away, scared. He hadn't intended to mingle any spit. That was just not right, Ryou thought, he was not gay was he... oh no..

'Oh no' changed to 'oh well' before Bakura got disappointed and Ryou gave up his rational thinking and pulled up again, obliging to Bakura's kiss. And so they did. Mingling spit and all, they kissed, and quite passionately at that, until neither could breath.

Bakura pulled away first after some five minutes and rested his head on Ryou's shoulder. Ryou breathed deeply and exhaled loudly, shivering with happiness. What had things come to?

**_Alright, I failed. I only did two and a half pages. I'm sorry everyone. I'm tired, and I did a lot tonight. I thought this was a really good chapter. Though I may be annoying the few of you who didn't want the fluff, oh well. I'm not going to go into any great detail about -anything- so you guys don't have to worry. And yah, they are officially a couple now, yayness!_**


	7. Dizziness

_**No this isn't going in a downward spiral, I can't allow it. I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday, I've had a lot of stuff to do and I was really tired. And thank you for stating your opinions but, don't blame me for my pairings because they ARE listed in the summary. To top that there isn't a single bit of info you could tell me about Bakura that I don't already know. Contrary to your review, two others said it wasn't the most common pairing. Bakura and Malik or his yami are so common that was the last thing I wanted to do. **_

* * *

"Bakura..." Ryou said after a few long moments, "C..can Malik have his party here? I think it would be fun for us to decorate for Christmas..."

"I don't see why not, as long as pharaoh stays the hell away from me."

"So you will help me decorate?" Ryou smiled anxiously.

"I never said that."

"Oh come on, please...?"

"....meh, I'll consider it. And hey guess what?"

"What?" Ryou blinked up with his big cute eyes.

"You should have seen the look on Yuugi's face when he walked in on us up here this morning."

"WHAT!?" His jaw dropped.

"Seriously, they called like five times but since we didn't answer they came over and explored the house looking for you."

"A..and they saw us? T..together?!"

Bakura nodded. He thought Ryou would be happy about it. Ryou shrugged his shoulders and crawled out Bakura's bed, but then sank back under the covers under confrontation with the cold air. So much to think about. And why was Bakura acting this way? Just because Yami threatened him to? Sure, he was forced to stop hurting him... but then why was he being so... kind? Why was curled up next to him? Ryou felt really foolish now. There was no way Bakura loved him, liked him, or even cared about him except if he benifited. He still thought he had nobody.

"So Ryou... you wanted to decorate for Christmas?"

Well, Ryou thought, I should be thankful he is... treating me so nicely, temporary or not. He put on his best smile and looked back up at Bakura and nodded.

"Yes, help me get the boxes out of the basement."

"Alright..." Bakura yawned.

He pulled off the covers and stuck his feet over the bed and tried to support his weight, but only managed to get very dizzy and fall back down. He quickly tried again, got a little farther this time, but wobbled on his feet for a few seconds before falling back down and clutching his head.

"Damn, what's wrong with me? I'm so dizzy..."

"Are you alright?" asked a concerned Ryou, placing his hands on Bakura's arm.

"Yah... I think so, but my head is throbbing..."

"Maybe you should lay down some more...."

Bakura let Ryou lay him back down, "Yah maybe I should... so dizzy..."

"Bakura!" yelped Ryou, "Your forehead, its glowing with that symbol!"

"What symbol... my forehead never glows, that's Marik's job..." Bakura groaned, "I can't think... everything is blurry."

"O..okay, calm down, I'm going to call Yuugi, you stay right there. Don't try to get up!"

"I-I'm fine!"

"You are not!"

Ryou hurried downstairs and grabbed the phone off the wall and called Yuugi's cell phone number. He tapped his foot impatiently and started to pace as far as the cable would let him. Yuugi answered his phone almost immediatly.

"Yuugi!"

"Ryou?"

"Something's wrong with Bakura! He's dizzy and his forehead is glowing with that freaky symbol! What did your yami do!?"

"My yami? No, he hasn't done anything. We'll come right over and check it out. _Maybe he has the flu._ I don't think you guys get the flu. _Okay then he ate some bad food last night. _That's not likely, Yami."

"Yuugi - Yami, stop talking to eachother outloud, it makes you sound schizonphreniac. But no, we didn't eat last night at all, we're out of food."

"_Maybe its because you haven't eaten._ That could be."

"...I don't think so," said Ryou suspiciously, "But come over and check it out anyways..."

Ryou hung up and went back up to Bakura who was squinting up at the ceiling, his forehead still glowing. Ryou kneeled on the floor next to the bed.

"Ryou... I feel numb. Like my power is being drained from me. Compare it to being hit by a truck."

"I've never been hit by a truck. Bakura, Yuugi and Yami are going to come over and see what's wrong with you."

"I don't want them here!"

"Hush, please..."

Ryou rubbed Bakura's shoulder. Bakura cringed and closed his eyes. Ryou stood up and pulled the blankets around Bakura and tucked him in. His forehead was sweating and his eyes, though closed, were twitching. His fists were clenched, and his breathing came roughly.

"I feel so damn weak! I don't want help! It will go away!"

"Bakura, please.... -sama..."

"Are you okay...?"

"Do I LOOK like I'm fucking okay?!"

"...no..."

"I..I'm sorry, Ryou, please, sorry... I'm in a lot of pain, my side hurts, my eyes hurt, I hurt all over..."

Ryou held Bakura's hand gently, and stroked Bakura's hair. Biting his lip, he knew very well how stubborn Bakura could be. Yuugi would be here, soon, he hoped, to help. But even if they could help, Bakura would not want help. Bakura opened the palm of his hand and let Ryou's hand slide in. Their fingers intertwined. Oh Bakura, Ryou worried to himself, please be okay... Ryou looked up at his yami's face, the light from the symbol dimmed, and his breathing had fallen back to normal, but every few seconds or so his face still contorted in obvious pain.

I'll be fine...

/What do you think is wrong...?/

Pharaoh... baka...

His hand squeezed Bakura's, /You still crack jokes under these conditions?/

When I don't, then you need to worry...

/I..I'm worried about you./

You, worried about me? Don't be, I don't deserve pity, now go downstairs... they'll be here soon... I can sense the Puzzle.

Ryou sighed and got up and left Bakura's side. Ryou was hungry, he'd admit that.... but his problems could wait till later... And just as Bakura said, the moment he set foot downstairs, there was the knock at the door. He sighed and opened the door, and Yuugi's familiar face looked back up, concerned.

"He's in his room."

Yuugi nodded and followed. Yami hadn't followed Yuugi on foot, and no wonder, Ryou noted. There was some pretty high snow out there, past Yuugi's knees. Egyptians never did seem to like the cold. Ryou closed the door behind Yuugi and helped him take off his coat and boats and fluffy snow pants. Yami appeared next to Yuugi afterwards and looked into the kitchen.

"So what were you guys doing this morni-"

"Shh, Yami, he isn't supposed to know we saw," Yuugi hissed.

"Bakura told me," Ryou shrugged.

"He did?"

"Answer my first question, Ryou," Yami insisted.

Ryou chuckled and put a hand behind his head, "We didn't do anything, it was cold so we kept eachother warm?"

"You sound sooo sure of your answer..." Yami muttered.

Ryou wanted to glare at Yami, but resisted the urge, ever since those dreams his thoughts had changed greatly about Yami. No solid evidence, though. Still... maybe Bakura planted those dreams as false realities just so Ryou wouldn't hate him next time he tried to attack Yami and his friends. Ryou shook his head, no, he had no reason to accuse Bakura, either.

Leading them upstairs, Ryou opened Bakura's door. Bakura's arms were crossed and his eyes were closed but narrowed. The symbol was there on his forehead, not so strong, but pulsing. He was trying to look tough... Couldn't let his guard down around his enemies. Yami was the first into the room and sat down on the bed next to Bakura.

"So, tomb robber, what exactly is wrong with you?"

Bakura opened his eyes and glared at the ceiling.

"I can barely see, everything is white. My head is throbbing," Bakura stated simply.

"He also said earlier he felt like he was being drained of his powers," Ryou commented.

"Oh? That's all he's complaining about? I don't know about the effects that sound like snow blindness, but I am taking his powers away from him."

"WHY?!"

Bakura sat up and tried to lunge at Yami, but stopped and clutched his side instead.

"Why the hell are you doing all this?! So you have your memories, now leave me alone!! I've been punished enough for plundering your damn father's tomb!"

Yami tilted his head and shrugged, "You did more than that to set me off. And besides, you haven't changed at all. What you've done to Ryou can't be undone, and now its time to pay for your abusiveness."

"Y..Yami? What's going on?" Yuugi asked.

Yami turned to Yuugi and smiled, "Nothing much, aibou. I've just remembered enough about Bakura to control him, he'll finally be leaving Ryou and the rest of us alone."

"What are you going to do with him?"

* * *

_**I recieved my Christmas present to myself in the mail today, a first series YGO tape, straight from Japan. I got to watch Bakura vs Yami in Monster World! I'm sorry I didn't update, but how could I not have been distracted? I'll make up for it!**_


	8. Never

_**I got a tape, aka, a VHS normal tape thing. I got it from w w w . cd-japan . co . Yes, co, no m. I looked it up in the anime section and typed in yugioh, its on the second search page, and it costs about 2800 yen, roughly 28 US dollars. I spent a total of about fourty bucks including shipping.... But no, it does not have subtitles. :) Fine by me though. And as I said before, I know everything about Bakura, just quiz me. Ha. I don't like Bakura just because of how he looks and just because some sides of him are quite... ugly as you put it, even Zork isn't that bad. It's the evilness that counts the most, hotness comes second.

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**_

Yami turned back to Bakura with a casual smirk, "Does it matter what I do to him? I'll just make sure he learns his lessons straight."

Bakura glared at Yami, his eyes boring into him with a glint a pure murder. But that's only the look he'd intended - the squinting mess from the blindness only made it look childish. At which, Yami chuckled.

"Ryou..." Bakura said in a horse whisper, "Get me some water. Yuugi gaki, go help thaw the water in the pipes..."

Getting the hint, Ryou looked uncertainly at his darker half. All those dreams, all of his memories... and he was gambling the last of his dignity away on staying with the former pharaoh alone in the room? On second thought, Ryou knew his other was more clever than that. Probably had some concealed weapon and was gonna lunge at him, but didn't want Yuugi there. He didn't want Yami hurt, but didn't want Bakura hurt... and he also didn't want himself hurt...

Not that he wasn't totally unconfident that Bakura wouldn't harm him after his promise, but because of what Yami might do to Bakura. He didn't know who trust and who to defend, but Bakura gave him an order, and the look Bakura gave him told him to hurry up and make your self scarce.

So Ryou did just that, with one last unsure glance at his new silver haired infatuation. And then followed Yuugi out the door, closing it softly behind him.  
And as of Bakura, honestly, he didn't know what he was thinking, only that it would be better off without innocent bystanders in the room should he get the urge to rip out Yami's throat or some such. Bakura had been through so much, more than he'd ever let on. First Kuru Eruna, then various things along the way, the robbing of pharaoh baka's father's tomb, and the murder of the former pharaoh's best friend... Oh the list just doesn't stop. And the punishment for those things alone was burned permanently on Bakura's memory.

Interrogation, torture, prison, angsty trial against the priests, then narrowly skipping the 'seven cuts' death sentence only to become the little gay pharaoh's whore. Punishment as such would not fit in well with modern society, and Bakura knew that. Which meant the former pharaoh baka would know better than to try anything... too obvious. Especially not around Yuugi nonetheless.

But so many times, Bakura thought back. Had he been hurt. He lost his family, was ripped away from his best friend while stuck in the palace locked in pharaoh's room, and for a while there... he felt so worthless he actually started to believe things the jerk said.

Pharaoh had often wanted Bakura to love him... well not really, to say that he did at least... and when he refused he got whipped, a whole month went by where things were twice as worse than normal just because he wouldn't say three simple words. So, eventually, and blinded by pain and emotionlessness, he gave in, gave pharaoh the three words he wanted...

And you know what? He had felt so much better. Stayed wrapped up in pharaoh's arms for the longest time, letting it all sink in. 'Maybe this is the answer,' Bakura had thought to himself, 'Get his pity and then I can wrap him around my little finger... and I can resurrect my family and finally get my happily ever after...'  
So very happy he had felt, the first in a long time, only to get shot down again a few minutes later.

"Love _you_?" Pharaoh's face contorted in amusement, "No can ever love you, no one ever will. You're hopeless. No one will ever love you, no one will understand you, you serve me one purpose, keep your place. And in the end, no matter what happens in this game of life, you will always lose."

Bakura's memory got fuzzy after that, days pasted like years, never ending. And he put up more of a struggle each day. He had finally become more like the raving lunatic people knew him as today. He crossed his own line.

Trapped in pharaoh's little mind game, he broke lose, ran away, not the first time, but definitely his last time. He was drug back, yet again, and this time he was a bloody mess when they were done with him. Memories ran together even more here...

Then his memories collided with blinding white hot pain in his wrists. In his memory he awoke suddenly, and stared at his wrists. Carved, not so deep, but deep enough with a white hot knife, was a pyramid... with wings. In the background he heard people chanting, and then fell unconscious once again...

The next time his memory started again was this time the unfathomable blur of the time spent in the Millennium Ring. He woke up in there. White room... and shadow magic helped to keep him sane. Oh the fun he had in the Ring by himself... but then again self mutilation did get kind of boring after a while...

* * *

Bakura snapped back into his present day reality as he felt himself being pushed back down onto his bed by the former pharaoh. But after trying frantically to push him away, he found he couldn't move. But pharaoh merely snuggled in on top of Bakura and put an elbow on either side of him and propped his head on his hands, inches from Bakura's face.

"Kitten.. I mean, Bakura... May I apologize... for so much that I've done to you.... I get all these memories from a third person point of view. I've changed so much without my memories... I don't find things I've done so... acceptable now."

Bakura glared. Well duh, of course he didn't find things acceptable.

"Oh but Bakura..." he closed his eyes, "I apologize not for what I've done, but for what I may do now. Such a lust I have for you now..."

A finger traced down Bakura's shirt, "So sorry, kitten..."

Bakura noted, that his headache was dimming. Yami was helping him... but... he didn't enjoy this position. And he was, truth to tell, slowly regaining enough control over himself to push Yami off of him. But not yet... he can't just make hasty decisions if he'd only be in an even weaker state afterwards. However, it was another control over himself to talk back.

"You aren't sorry, you bastard."

Yami opened his eyes from his daydreams, "I'm trying to be as sincere as possible here," he backtracked, "So what was it you and Ryou were doing this morning?"

"I told you, just keeping him warm."

"Riiight. I never thought you the considerate type, tomb robber. You've only ever cared about him unless it was a life or death situation, and that certainly wasn't. Maybe a few cold toes..."

"If you don't want to believe me, I won't make you, just stop assuming things."

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs, Ryou had scooped up some snow and was boiling it on the stove. Yuugi was slowly at the same time helping Ryou get his homework done... No sound had come from upstairs. No unexpected thuds, yells, or explosions. Ryou tried to make himself believe they were just talking things out like normal human beings.... but that just seemed out of the ordinary for them.

Ryou sat down at the table again and listen to Yuugi explain the algebra to him again... his mind was wandering.

"Yuugi," he said nonchalantly, "my yami changed last night..."

"Huh?" Yuugi stopped his scratch work on the math problem, "How so...?"

"Well.. I.. I was sad last night, and... it was so cold... and there was no food, and I told him, and I thought I was going to get really hurt because of it... but he asked me if I was cold.. and I said yes... and he hugged me, Yuugi. He gave me a blanket, and we went to his room and he... he apologized for things he'd done... I was surprised, Yuugi."

"He really did all that?"

"...and Yuugi.."

"Hm?"

"I've been having some bad dreams lately, about your yami... your yami in ancient Egypt. I..I can't really elaborate for you, but I told Bakura about them and he says they've happened, the things I've been seeing, and we don't want your yami acting on those memories..."

"But you can't tell me?"

"N..not yet..."_**

* * *

**__**Hope this was a good chapter, its longer than it seems... If anyone would like to contribute ideas, I may use them.  
**_


	9. Deophobia

_**This chapter is a bit short... but I like where I left it... so bare with everyone else while I plan the next chapter. School got out today, if you're lucky I may update twice tomorrow and multiple times a day. Prepare for this to end Christmas... fanfic time, not necessarily... real world Christmas time. **_

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Fingers twirled Bakura's snowy white locks into wisps. More than anything, the one thing Bakura hated the most was complete and utter loss of control. He didn't mind not having control of himself - sadistic urges to murder people was fine. However when someone else had control of him, then he became the closest to being scared as he'd ever been in his lifetime. This and his disdain for people with such egotism like the pharaoh and Seth lead him to something known as deophobia. Deophobia is a cross between the Latin roots of deity and fear, thus, fear of deities... for most people this would pertain only to people who had governmental jobs where the FBI was breathing down their necks, or overly religious people whom were afraid of pissing off their God. But to Bakura and his slight case of deophobia, the deity was pharaoh, and back in Ancient Egypt any reigning pharaoh was at the very lest a demi-god if not more.

And though Bakura didn't believe in such shit, he knew very well the familiar magical powers emanating from the so-called demi-god that was restraining him. Ignoring things the best he could, he mused over if he could yell for Ryou's attention. Oh, he suddenly realized, why yell when I can just use the mind link...

However at this moment while pharaoh's fingers were tracing circles on his thigh and he was biting gently on Bakura's left ear, sanity was ebbing away from Bakura. And he still felt virtually paralyzed, and pushing him away would only anger him. Overthinking things, Bakura noted, was a problem he had developed.

Pharaoh moved away from Bakura's ear and blew cold air at the wet ear. Bakura shivered involuntarily.

"Oh you like that do you...?"

"No!!"

Then with every fleeting attempt he could muster, Bakura struggled, weakly lifted his heavy arms and pushed the tri-colored deity away. This was ineffective and Pharaoh laughed again lay dominant over Bakura, nose to nose with the former thief.

"Come on now, play fair..."

"This is hardly fair you sick bastard!"

The king of games smirked and pressed his mouth against Bakura and fought his way inside. Much to his displeasure, Bakura didn't struggle. Perhaps, the former pharaoh thought, he was holding Bakura back too much and he knew there was nothing he could do. In the end, there really wasn't, truth be told now, but... It was so much more fun to lead him along and play with his head. Toying with Bakura was so amusing for him, he mused, why had he not figured his out sooner? He suckled Bakura's tongue and pulled on it possessively, making Bakura wince.

Bakura tried the mind link for the third time now, and it still wasn't working, and now that pharaoh's mouth was locked on his he suddenly felt warm and his brain was working over time. How long had it been since thelast time...? Bakura mentally shook himself, he didn't even want a this time - why remember last time?! Suddenly he felt his strength coming back as pharaoh pulled away from what he considered a kiss. More like a painful tug of war for the victim and the fragile parts of his mouth that kept his tongue where it was supposed to be - attached.

Pharaoh, now satisfied, rolled off Bakura's lithe frame and headed to the door. Bakura, all energy and self-control given back, he lunged towards Yami - and the door, pinning pharaoh to it.

"Leave me alone hell alone, pharaoh!" Bakura sneered, "Or else I'll go find Malik's darkside in a heartbeat and -"

"And do what? I have a feeling you won't be bothering my host or any of his friends," he lifted Bakura's chin with his hand, "Your precious host is friends with Yuugi. If I were you, I'd be very careful about what you do so long as you remember to keep Ryou in mind... I'm watching you, kitten."

Yami dropped Bakura's chin and opened the door handle and it swung open and moved him along with it and out of Bakura's pin to the wall, and he easily slipped under his arm and walked casually downstairs to meet his lighter half.

Yuugi's eyes lit up when Yami finally showed up again, perfectly unharmed. The leather bound darker half with a buckle fetish was in almost every way, Yuugi's role model. How very soon that would end, Ryou imagined, if he knew Yami's secrets.

Bakura, messier hair than normal showed up right behind Yami, perfectly unharmed, it seemed, as well. Ryou smiled expectantly, but Bakura only grunted in response.

"Okay you can get the fuck out of my house now."

"Heh," Yami smirked down over at Bakura who's arms were crossed as he leaned back in the chair at the breakfast table, his feet propped up on it. Yami turned to Yuugi, "Let's go then aibou, winter break starts on Tuesday, best if we get home so you can study for the last test at school."

"Mhmm!" Yuugi nodded, "You had better study too, Ryou. I'll see you at school tomorrow, then."

Ryou nodded, but was already concerned about Bakura's well-being. Though he had been at first relieved that neither Yami or Bakura were seriously injured, he began to think emotional scars had reopened and ran deep. But he smiled and Yuugi and nodded.

"See you tomorrow, Yuugi! Tell the others I said hello!"

Yami gave one last glance at Bakura, whom was fiddling with the Millennium Ring and lost in his own thoughts. Yami was curious as to what he was thinking, as usual, but he knew he had won the first battle of many. His expression visually succumbing to the thoughts of his plans, he wondered how much longer until Bakura crossed the line he was waiting for. Because then, the real fun would start.

And then the expression disappeared and he again turned to Yuugi, "Let's go then, aibou."

Yami then disappeared to the Millennium Puzzle and Yuugi put on his boots and coat again as he left. As soon as the duet had left, Ryou turned to Bakura instantly and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"...May I ask what happened?"

"...Mrrghhrr..grr," was the fuzzy incoherent response Bakura mumbled, which thenbecame a louder different train of thought all together, "I'm cold Ryou, I'm going back up stairs..."

Bakura got up and stopped on the first step, "Come on too, Ryou... If you want to know what happened..."

Ryou nodded and followed up to Bakura, and to his surprise, Bakura pulled his arm around Ryou's waist on top of his fluffy wool sweater and pulled him close into a simple hug. Bakura didn't move to pull Ryou upstairs and just clung to the boy. Ryou put his arms around Bakura and rested his head to one side on Bakura's shoulder.

"What's wrong..? Bakura, please tell me..."

"Just keep Yami away from me..."

"I fear the worst now that you've said that, you know.What did you guys do? Did he hurt you?"

Ryou pulled back and looked into Bakura's eyes, which, for once, actually seemed normal instead of demon possessed and crazed. In fact, he looked sad, and this look, especially from someone who's never let his guard down, was so soul shatteringly sad for Ryou to look at.

"Bakura... please, tell me what's wrong..."

"...the worst hasn't happened yet... it will only get worse from here on out..."

He closed his eyes and finally pulled away and tugged Ryou by the hand upstairs, "Come on, I need to talk to you about... about a few things."

* * *

_**If you all don't mind a slightly OOC Baku in the next chapter, he's going to get a bit emotional about a few things... like explaining Kruelna to Ryou. And other events he doesn't want to remember but needs to get out of his system so he feels better. Poor Baku... -hands out candy canes and mallets to everyone- (Use mallet on Yami if you wish, candy cane is for you to eat while waiting for next chappie.)**_


	10. City of White and Blue Lotus

**_Nah I don't hate Yami, I just have a particular direction I'm taking the story. And it'll take forever to get there, so go ahead and just sit back and watch me make Yami a bad guy. I, personally, AM trying to get Bakura to look like a good guy, but not so much so. Well maybe not good, but at least innocent because he had reasons. And if he didn't have a reason for whatever, then he'll feel guilty. Ryou will introduce him to a variety of emotions Bakura does and doesn't enjoy feeling. True love - and guilt. And though I have a plot "line" it doesn't mean I can predict events inbetween beginning and end. I write when I feel inspired by either reviewers or other stories. Its great to know people like my stuff. -happy-_**

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"Ryou..." Bakura said in a hushed whisper as he sat on his own bed and pulled his knees to his chest and leaned against the wall.

"What is it you want to talk about?"

Ryou, at least at this point, having seen Bakura change from a madman to a being... almost human. He'd never seen Bakura so calm or so well-tempered. He almost seemed sane. The crazed look had vanished from him, even his hair seemed to tame down to look a bit more like the lighter halfs. All these changes made Ryou unsure of what to say around him, not knowing wether he'll explode or just take it in...

Bakura closed his eyes, deep in thought. Ryou scooted closer on the bed and sat next to him, apprehensive.

"I'm going to tell you a short detailed version of my life story..."

Ryou nodded.

"I grew up in a small village called Kurueluna," Bakura rolled the R into an L very carefully and continued, "i-it was a nice place, all of Egypt was, at least where there was shade and food. My village was on the Nile, near the valley of the kings..."

Bakura reached down and grasp Ryou's hand. Bakura's cold hand made him jump and involuntarily squeak. Ryou blinked at Bakura, who's eyes had not opened and his expression hadn't changed.

"Can I... show you?" he asked slowly.

"Hmm?" Ryou blinked again.

"I want to show you..." he tightened his grip on Ryou's hand.

"Alright...you can show me..." the boy agreed curiously.

"Close your eyes and you will see... the same vision I've seen before me..." Bakura seemed to almost have chanted that like a spell, and then he squeezed Ryou's hand again.

* * *

Ryou closed his eyes and squeezed back. A vision, blurry at first, became very clear. He was on top of a mud-brick building, painted white and bleached a pinkish yellow by the sun. Blue lotus blossoms were painting on a railing that enclosed the entire roof. It was exotically beautiful, and Ryou smiled in spite of himself. He looked beyond the detailed railing across a large vast city. 

It and all its splendor seemed to be vastly decorated in the same white and blue lotus print. The entirity of the city was bordered by two cliff faces with arched and loomed above on all sides but one. Houses themselves were carved into the cliff faces. This city looked like something Ryou would have designed for Monster World if he'd ever come up with the idea.

"You lived here? It's so nice!!"

"Isn't it..." Bakura seemed sad, "Dwelling on memories cannot make me happy anymore..."

"I don't understand..."

Bakura showed up the roof next to Ryou, his elbows propped on the railing, looking out with the same blank expression he'd recently developed.

"You'll see."

Ryou looked at Bakura with a puzzled expression. How out of place it seemed for both him and Bakura to be here. He followed his other half's gaze. Suddenly, around them, light flickered from the sun, and clouds, stringy things that looked like pea pods drifted at such speed Ryou's eyes could not follow them. The sun moved across the sky and it grew darker as the sun suddenly touched the ground directly beyond the side of the city that the cliff did not enclose. The sun grew brighter then and red flickered across the buildings in rays of light and dark. Then things began to slow down again...

Bakura pointed in the distance.

"Watch and you will witness the fate of my home..."

Again Ryou's eyes followed to where Bakura was looking. At first, he saw nothing, then a line of moving figures. And they grew closer with great speed. Specks of reflecting light shined off of them. Suddenly a battle cry rang out against the casual setting of the city. People below looked up from what they were doing. A baby started to cry in the distance. The line of figures dawned upon the edge of the city and then spilled in, and for the first time, Ryou realized that the light was reflecting off of weapons.

Fear struck him as he let out of breath. More and more of the figures stormed in, and screams from all directions rang out. The figures grew closer, and Ryou followed one's path. It met up with a woman hiding in an alley. She looked up, and then turned away, carrying her baby who was still crying. But then a spear hit her and she was was struck from behind. The spear jabbed into her back and she started upright and her agonizing scream filled Ryou's ears. She dropped the baby, and she struggled upwards to get back to it. The spear still jabbed in her side, she cuddled her precious baby underneath her protectively. The same man who threw the spear came up behind her, and another one followed. The first grabbed her away from her baby by her hair and the other ripped the spear out. Another scream, then pleas to spare her child's life. They didn't last long, and then... Ryou looked away as the man raised the spear above the baby.

Ryou was shaking as he backed away from the railing. No matter where he looked, similar scenes were happening throughout the city. He wanted to gag, who would do such a thing? To so many innocent people!!

"These are soldiers from Thebes."

Ryou covered his ears to drown out the screaming and yelling that came from every direction.

"Now let me explain things to you, things I didn't know until later. These soldiers are here because of a war that is going on between Egypt and several other countries that were ganging up on us - including Nubia."

Bakura's eyes wandered through the crowds of panicking people below, looking for something - waiting for something. Ryou didn't know what Nubia had to do with anything, so Bakura continued.

"Kurueluna is very near the Nubian borders. Thebes, I can only assume, convinced the reigning pharaoh that my people were conspiring with the enemy. It became known to me that they thought they were going to lose the war against the rebelling countries, and needed a powerful spell to summon guardians to protect them. Again, the priests convinced the pharaoh that just such a spell existed in the book of the dead. It required the sacrfice of 99 lives..."

"N-ninety-nine!! That's alot of people!! All of these people..."

Ryou opened one eye and looked again at the city. The smell of blood was thick and putrid in the air. And red splotches were evident on the white walls below. The noise was dimming now... and there was fire coming from the thatched roofs of a few of the poorer houses in the cliff faces.

"Bakura... I don't want to be seeing this...!"

"I don't either... Trust me, I don't either..."

Bakura walked to the other side of the building and motioned Ryou over and pointed down. A dark alley lay below and a man was trying to comfort a scared little boy with dusty white hair. Ryou watched on. He couldn't understand of any of the clearly heard conversation... but he felt its meaning.

"My father..." Bakura's eyes softened.

The man grabbed the boy by the wrist and lead him to the back of the alley and stowed him a small crevass between that building and the next. Garbage usually piled in such crevasses, but to the small boy, the hiding place would save his life. His father leaned forward and gave him a big hug and kissed him on the forehead and then he backed down the alley.

Three soldiers appeared at the front of the entrance and the small boy cowered into his hiding place. The boy's father yelled at the soldiers, shaking his fist at them. One of the soliders laughed and the three advanced on the defenseless man who held up his fists as weapons. Two of the soldiers held up their scimitars which gleemed in the sunlight and said more that Ryou could not, and did not want, to understand. The third man arched back and threw his spear and Ryou closed his eyes tighly. The little boy, hidden in the crevasse, did the same.

The man did not falter, did not yell out, when the spear hit him. He raised his fists again, still ready to fight. The soldiers laughed and the one came forward to reclaim his spear, he pulled it out and the man fell foward, and the soldiers dragged him away. A stain of blood was all that was left behind...

Ryou let out a shaky breath, and tears sprang at the corners of his eyes. He looked around for Bakura but did not see him now... his other half had disappeared. Ryou furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing where to go or what to do. He walked over to the far edge of the building and down at the trembling boy, who's sobs were racking his small body. Ryou cried too, and his tears fell freely down his cheeks.

"Poor Bakura..." he mumured, "I never knew... he'd been through this..."

**_

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**_-wipes tear from eye- Sorry if things got too detailed for you causing you to read quickly and skip over things... Curious as to how you react to this... so I'm anxious for your reviews... Anyone cry besides me? Oh one more thing, I wanted the conversation in the "flashback" to be all in the mental link with the slash lines and the double slash lines, the /, but the site's editor refuses to let the double slash be, even if I seperate them or make them go the other way. So... I guess that means no more mental links? In this fanfic maybe... but every fanfic?! I hope not..._**


	11. Not so Heartless

**_Thank you!!! Um sure, I'd love to read a story of yours since it sounds interesting. If you, or anyone else wants to get a hold of me, you can instant message me with AIM or AOL at_ Chaosgal1_. You can also mail me there, since its AOL. Anyone who actually tries to get to know me will probably end up having me rant to them till all hours of the AM, but you'll also help me by suggesting ideas if you'd like. I'd love to incorporate any ideas that you guys have (they come in handy when my mind goes blank occassionally)._**

* * *

Everything around Ryou suddenly started to darken at the edges, and everything before him slowly faded out to black. His eyes were closed when he came back into focus a few seconds later and he opened them. Now he was back in Bakura's room. Bakura had his knees tucked to his chest and his head buried in between his knees.

"Bakura..."

Bakura's head lifted and he turned to Ryou. Ryou was expecting him to have at least been emotional, but he showed nothing. Sadness was evident in his eyes, despite the rest of his emotionless expression. Ryou saw through Bakura's usual facade, and past the eyes which eerily didn't even seem to have any pupils. The death warmed over look that road kill animals usually have.

"Ryou..." he said in a soft voice, "I've moved on, I don't... linger on memories. I can't change the past, but I insist on moving foward to at least... avenge the death of my people."

Bakura turned his head so he didn't have to look at Ryou's shocked, scared, pitying, innocent eyes anymore.

"They killed more than 99 people, they couldn't stop themselves. Then to complete their spell they created the Millennium Items," Bakura's eyes narrowed and he continued in his monotone, "They melted down a large pot of gold and mixed into the gold the required 99 sacrfices... When it all had melted down and stopped oozing they poured it into the molds... You see, my light, the Millennium Items were created by the death, and even made from, at least a hundred innocent people that were slaughtered... My people, Ryou, my people!"

"My people!" he shouted again, clenching his fist, "I want the items back... what good it will do, I don't care, I want them back! I want to put them back so I can release all the trapt souls... Everyone just thinks I'm an evil bastard who wants to release the dark powers that the items "sealed away." And in putting those souls to rest, yes, that's exactly what I'll be doing. But I don't care!!"

Bakura felt a hand on his shoulder and he calmed down.

Sighing, he started up for a third time, "They created the Millennium Items to prevent a dark power from consuming the Earth, at least, that's what they thought. They thought creating the damn things would stop it. Oh, but no... you can't escape fate. I AM the very darkness they were trying to prevent! The world was perfect before me Ryou, perfect but stupid! I either never should have lived, or none of it should have ever happened! I don't know which... but its not fair... its not fair..."

Ryou scooted closer and wrapped his arms around Bakura. Bakura leaned back against Ryou and stared blankly at the wall. So many emotions he had locked up inside of him, so many he refused to let out. He felt the weakness they could cause, he didn't want emotions let loose to wreak havoc unto him.

Ryou stroaked Bakura's hair, and held his head under his, holding him. Comforting the dark was the only thing Ryou could think of to do... he didn't know what he would have done... had any of Bakura's past, had happened to him.

"Ryou... I went to them, in Thebes. I asked them for the items and they turned me away. So I waited, Ryou, I waited... Another rebellion came by... the priests with their items summoned their guardians and slaughtered the rebels as well... but not without suffering casualties," Bakura smiled, "Pharaoh Akunamaten was dead. The pharaoh who'd signed away the agreement to let his priests kill my people..."

"Why didn't they give the items back when the war was over?"

"Because they'd forgotten... the priests, most of them at least, died mysterious deaths. The items were passed on to their teenage sons and daughters. And they would not give them back either. All I ever wanted, Ryou... was to have lived a normal life. I couldn't anymore, but I refused to give up. If I could not get what I wanted, then I would take what I wanted, and I would make their lives miserable as well...."

"Did you succeed?"

"Yes... but it left me broken... and... now I've been bound to the Millennium Ring. I can't die Ryou... I can't even die to be with my family in the afterlife... I"m doomed Ryou. I can't escape my fate, I can't change the sands of time..."

A tear slipped down Bakura's cheek onto Ryou's hand. Ryou gasped, and Bakura growled at started to rub at his eyes, cursing in Egyptian.

"Bakura... Bakura, stop that..."

"Leave me alone, Ryou!"

Ryou grabbed Bakura's wrists stubbornly and tried to pull them away. Bakura pulled free and smacked Ryou hard across the face.

"Leave! Me! ALONE!"

Ryou didn't move. His face began to swell, and he stared at Bakura with an emotion Bakura couldn't even begin to figure out. And he faltered.

"I-I'm sorry, Ryou," Bakura's eyes shot across the room and he looked away.

"Bakura... I forgive you. I will always forgive you..."

Ryou placed his hands on Bakura's knees in a pleading act, looking for an answer.

"When... was the last time you cried..."

"Crying is a weakness..." Bakura stated simply.

"You didn't answer my question..."

"In the Ring... I cried... because no one could see me..."

"Bakura..."

Ryou reached out and turned Bakura's head with his hand so Bakura would look at him, but Bakura refused to make any eye contact.

"Bakura... It's okay to cry... Its okay to cry around me, I love you... I want to understand you, I want to be here for you... Please let me, don't push me away."

Bakura shifted his eyes back to Ryou, "I'm sorry I've hurt you."

"I've already forgiven you for that, my love..."

"I feel sorrow now... I have not forgiven myself."

Ryou sighed and hugged Bakura.

"I love you... do you love me? Do you feel love..."

"I don't know love..."

"Then let me help you... Let me take the pain away, I'll help you find love..."

"Momma... s-she always said she loved me..." Bakura teared up, "All I ever wanted... was to be... happy..."

Bakura started shaking and Ryou hugged him closer and rubbed his back. How good it felt, to Bakura, to let lose the swirl of emotions he'd rarely let go of... He still had a heart, no matter how hard he tried to kill it.

"Shhh... I'll take care of you, now... everything will be okay..."

Outside, the sun began to set. The snow had not given up yet, and the more it snowed, the more it piled up. A few inches had turned into two feet. Tomorrow was Monday... and school was the last thing on Ryou's mind as he comforted the once cold-hearted spirit of the Millenium Ring.

* * *

_**Whee, angstyness. -wipes away a few more tears-The story will continue till Christmas their time... Short, but I can't help it. I have relatives coming over in the morning to open presents. I wish everyone Merry Chrismakuh!!**_


	12. Golden and True

_**Okay, I haven't been updating once a night. Then again, I knew I'd break that promise from the start, so I suppose I'm sorry. However, I will continue to update. I stayed up until 5 AM approx yesterday night. I slept in till 3 this afternoon. I've only been up for two hours, and here I am. Ready to update. Ratings for this chapter, will have to be higher. -grins eerily- I've been very careful so far, but this is it. It's going up the citrus scale from here on out. **_

* * *

Hours passed, and Ryou was dreaming. He was twitching, shaking quite violently at points, which came to Bakura's attention. Bakura woke up and observed his light for several minutes in the pitch blackness. He decided whatever he was dreaming about had gone way to far, so he lightly shook Ryou's shoulder.

"Ryou... wake up. Wake up, Ryou!"

Ryou jumped at Bakura's touch, but did not wake up. He curled up into a ball and began to sob. Concerned, Bakura crawled under's Ryou's blanket and gently shook his arm.

"Please, Ryou... wake up."

The sleeping Ryou whimpered and scooted away, teteering at the edge of the bed. Bakura wrapped his arms around him and pulled him away from the edge. Ryou then suddenly latched hold of him, hugging him tightly.

"Don't hurt me, sama, please don't hurt me.." came a small whisper as the still sleeping Ryou cried into Bakura's chest.

Bakura rubbed Ryou's back, trying to reassure him. The dream was about him... before.

"I won't hurt you, little one. I promised... I won't hurt you, I love you..." Bakura insisted.

At first he thought himself stupid for talking to a sleeping Ryou, but Ryou talked back.

"You've said that before," Ryou said almost in a monotone, "You're a liar," he accused, "You're lying to me... again..."

These words stung at Bakura, "No! No I'm not lying! Ryou please, wake up!"

Ryou squealed in fear and reeled away. But Bakura's grip was firm, and he held Ryou next to him, "Please, please... wake up..."

The light shook and squirmed, but gave up minutes later. He whimpered and cuddled into Bakura's chest.

"I'm sorry, sama. I'll be good, please don't hurt me... I'll be good!"

Bakura, though he wouldn't admit it, was scared. Even though he'd apologized to Ryou... Ryou would continue to have bad dreams that would haunt him... forever. He rubbed Ryou's back.

"Sleep then, Ryou... sleep."

Minutes past, and Bakura assumed it was all behind him. Ryou's breathing and heart rate were back to normal, and he was sleeping peacefully again. Then, there was a sound...

Humming. Bakura listened. It was coming from Ryou. And though it was impossible to describe the notes that were hummed out, it was eerily like a child's nursery song. Though, you wouldn't recognize it. It seemed to be one Ryou made up all on his own. The humming broke off, and Ryou sang, in a hushed voice, some of the words he knew...

"If I could paint you a morning... I'd paint you a morning... golden and true..."

The humming started over again, then, a few more words.

"And if I could make a day for you..."

Then, Bakura recognized the song. No, it wasn't one Ryou had made up on his own after all. This was the song his mother used to sing him to sleep with before she died. And she'd died before Bakura even showed up, and long before Bakura started to hit Ryou. But faintly, in the back of his mind, he remembered the day he'd met the boy in the soul hall... He hurt the boy, and the boy curled up into a defensive ball and started to hum and rock slowly back and forth. From then on, he ordered Ryou never to hum again.

Whatever this dream was, it had come from a long time ago, Bakura noted. The humming didn't stop, and it repeated itself, growing louder each time. Bakura had already regretted things he'd done, and now here he was all over again. The pain just never went away, did it? Bakura was scared of this - that he'd never be free from emotional pain, even if he ignored it.

He edged away from Ryou, but Ryou suddenly clung to him again.

"Please don't leave me! Don't go! Don't go!" he began to sob.

Bakura settled down for him, but more humming followed. This sleeping Ryou was scaring the shit out of Bakura. He had to get away. And so... he did. He struggled away again, and Ryou whined and cried, but this time, Bakura just pushed away and got out of the bed. Ryou's hums were choked by sobbing, and Bakura walked backwards slowly until he hit the door. He turned and flung it open, then he and ran downstairs.

* * *

The house was freezing cold on the lower level, but Bakura phased out of physical form to keep warm. He walked to the living room window and sat down at the window sill. The street lamp outside revealed that the window was encrusted in an icy twirling pattern, frozen over. Bakura couldn't see out. In his hand he formed a small glowing ball of yellow shadow magic and pressed it to the glass window pane with his palm. Slowly, the icy pattern melted, and with his other arm he wiped the fog off the window.

The sight outside would have been purely magical looking, if not for the fact, Bakura had not grown accustomed to the bitter cold that came with snow. Snow, as it would happen, was still falling. And by the looks up it, it hadn't let up since its started. The snow was just below window level, and it stayed at that depth, all the way across the yard. At the road, it dipped, but only slightly, then dipped back up again into the neighbor's yard. It was like the house had been buried in a sand storm. Only, this wasn't sand.

What do they call snow storms anyways? Bakura wondered.

Bakura heard sullen foot steps coming down the kitchen stairs, but he didn't get up.

"Ryou, I'm in the living room..."

"I'm coming."

Bakura got up and wrapped his arms around Ryou's shoulders and lead him to the window.

"It's so c-cold..."

"Ryou, look outside... its a snow storm."

Ryou looked up into the light of the street lamp.

"My God. It's a blizzard!!"

"So that's what they call it... Ryou, I've never seen it snow like this here in Japan before, what's up with the weather?"

"Nothing... it must have been a cold year. But a blizzard? I bet school is cancelled. I'd better go check."

Ryou got up and went to the kitchen. Bakura heard a cupboard open and shut as Ryou pulled out the phone book and skimmed through the pages before dailing the school. He waited, but then hung up and came back to the living room.

"The phones are out..."

Bakura looked at Ryou carefully. All the little hairs were standing on end, he was cold. And when he let out a breath, Bakura saw it illuminated in the light of the street lamp.

"All right, let's go back upstairs...."

"Okay... but I need to find the radio first..."

"My boom box has a radio."

"Okay, but now I have to look for batteries..."

Ryou shuffled across the room and opened up a box next to the fire place. Too bad, Bakura thought, they had no fire wood, or else that fireplace would be lit up more than the 4th of July right now. Ryou dug through the contents of the box, but closed it and moved on to another one. He found the D batteries and smiled weakly over at Bakura.

"Come on now, it's cold..."

Bakura lead Ryou back upstairs and they shut the door again. All their body heat was still trapt in the room from before, so the warmth was a welcome relief to them. Bakura picked up the large boom box and set it on the bed. He dived under the covers of the blankets. Ryou did too, and curled up next to him and broke open the battery package while unclipping the compartment on the back of radio. He stuck them in, and fiddled with some knobs on it that Bakura had never used. Fuzzy at first, the radio transmission became clear and Ryou moved the dial to AM and glided through the channels.

"Giant snow storm hit Japan this Sunday night! Schools all over Japan are closed for an early winter vacation because this snow is just not melting. Now over to Jim..."

"I'm in Tokoyo, and the traffic is backed up all along the highway. There must be nearly four feet of snow here, Darla! Snow plows are already clearing the way on the highway before the morning crowd rushes through, but they aren't having much luck. A layer of ice underneath the snow has caused problems."

"Jim, when do you think the snow will let up?"

"Well, Darla, at this rate it may not stop till Christmas. Do you think its fair to sue all those people who were wishing for a white Christmas this year?!"

Darla laughed and Ryou turned off the radio and put it on the floor and cuddled into Bakura.

* * *

"Oh Bakura..."

"Hmm?"

"What were you doing downstairs?"

"..." Bakura ran a hand through Ryou's hair, "You were sleep talking and stuff and it scared me so I ran off..."

Ryou giggled.

"No, seriously..."

Ryou looked up with big eyes, "Hey, 'Kura... how can you see me in the dark? I can barely see you..."

"I guess, I'm just used to it..."

Bakura ran his hand down Ryou's cheek. Ryou snuggled into the touch and wound his way closer to Bakura.

"I'm so cold, Bakura..."

Bakura laid down and pulled Ryou into his chest as he dragged a thick blanket over them, and then another. With a bit of unsure caution, he wrapped his leg over the top of Ryou's. He wanted it there to keep Ryou warm, but in fleeting desperation, another reason came to mind. He rubbed his nose against Ryou's, and Ryou did the same back and giggled a little before locking Bakura into a kiss. Bakura deepend the kiss and Ryou wrapped his arms around Bakura, seeming to pull Bakura on top of him. Which was exactly the way things were going anyway. Bakura somehow came out of the heated kiss on top of Ryou without Ryou barely noticing.

Ryou laughed, "Oh, now you can be my blanket!"

Bakura laughed too, "Is that so?"

Bakura's leg slid between Ryou's and Ryou let out a little gasp and wrapped his arms tighter around Bakura. Ryou seemed to have liked that, so Bakura kept going with something new. He leaned to one side and licked Ryou's neck once before beginning to slowly suck on it gently. Ryou elicited a little moan.

"Bakura..." Ryou said breathlessly, "I think I like... this..."

"You think?"

Bakura nibbled on Ryou's lower earlobe, causing Ryou to arch up against Bakura.

"Hey, Ryou... do you want me to... you know..."

Ryou nodded frantically - from being excited or nervous he didn't know which, most likely both. Bakura laughed at this and began to unbutton and unzip their pants. Ryou cringed sheepishly.

"B-Bakura, you really do love me... right?"

Bakura stopped momentarily, "Yes, I do... more than anyone. If you don't want me to do this yet... we can wait..."

Ryou shook his head, "No don't wait... I just want to hear you say it..."

"Alright... I love you."

"Mmmmmm... I love you too!"

With all of Bakura's thief like ablities he'd already stripped off most everything they were wearing - but he couldn't manage those damned socks (remember from earlier in the story?). Ryou's breathing was uneven and his heart was racing. Finally Bakura loved him, cared about him... he'd even go so far as to do this for him... thoughts of worry stayed in the back of his mind, he honestly didn't want them to get in the way. Not right now. He could die from happiness! He clung to Bakura. Too bad he was so shy.

"Ryou, if you don't let me move..."

Ryou coughed nervously, "Eh?"

He raked what little fingernails he had down Bakura's bare back and Bakura let out a hiss.

Yes, that night was painted into Ryou's memory forever. He trusted Bakura with every fiber of his existance. And this time, both of them were sure, that Yuugi and Yami wouldn't be calling them - nor walking in on them. All the beautiful snow outside prevented it...

* * *

_**There, that wasn't that detailed, nothing to get me trouble over. -blinkblink- Eh. Heh. YAY! I had it in me to do some yaoi on the citrus scale for once! I knew I had it in me. Sorry for the long wait to update, but was it worth it? Be honest now. You had better not have skipped over that because I warned ya'll from the beginning that I chose this as my pairing. Hope you had fun with your FIVE pages!**_


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